Trouble with knitting pattern. First time doing socks!

[lisabeth313]

Here is part of the pattern. This is for a pair of socks. (I can't post the link but they are the cottage slipper socks on lionbrand's website if you need more details)

Next (dec) rnd K 6, k2tog, place plastic marker, k 12, k2tog, place plastic marker, k 6.
Cont in St st rep dec rnd every 4 rnds 4 times dec 1 st before each plastic marker-20 sts
rem. Work even until 12" from beg, ending at beg of rnd.

When it says, "K6, k2tog" ...is this saying to K5 and then knit the last two together...counting as 1K...with a total of 6?

The second part doesn't make sense at all to me. Maybe it's the way it's worded...but it's making my head spin trying to figure it out! I tried doing the St st 4 times around and then a dec st on the following round. This doesn't seem to be doing anything and it's giving me less stitches on only two needles...it's not really evening out. If someone can explain this a little better, I'd really appreciate it!

[suzeeq]

"When it says, "K6, k2tog" ...is this saying to K5 and then knit the last two together...counting as 1K...with a total of 6? "

Not on the first round, but after that yes, you'd k5, k2tog, k11, k2tog, k6. You are supposed to have 2 sts less every decrease row, that does the shaping. The dec row is done every 4th row, so you do 3 rows in between them, so you have 4 dec rows.
I'd do the decs differently though - on the 2nd dec row, k6, k2 tog, k10, k2tog, k6. Then do 3 more rows of st st and dec again - k6, k2tog, k8, k2tog, k6, and so on, until you have 20 sts on the needle. Maybe it wouldn't come out right though, but that's the general idea.

[MerigoldinWA]

Next (dec) rnd K 6, k2tog, place plastic marker, k 12, k2tog, place plastic marker, k 6. Cont in St st rep dec rnd every 4 rnds 4 times dec 1 st before each plastic marker-20 sts rem. Work even until 12" from beg, ending at beg of rnd.

Is what the pattern says. On the first rnd work it as given, thereafter you will be working the decrease rnd again after you have knit 3 rnds even. You will work all the dec rnds this way: knit to 2 stitches before the marker, k2tog, slip the marker, knit to 2 stitches before the next marker, k2tog, slip marker, knit to the end of the round.

Keep repeating the 3 rnds even followed by the decrease rnd until you have 20 stiches left, then just work even (no decreases) until you have 12" from your cast on.

[salmonmac]

Think of this as a clock face where the beginning of the round is at noon. The markers are at 3 and 9 o’clock. So you’re k6, then k2tog just before the 3 o’clock marker, k12, then k2tog before the 9 o’clock marker and then finish up with a k6 that brings you back to noon. Each half of the round starts with 14sts and after the first decrease round you have 13sts in each half (the k12 + one stitch from the k2tog). Don’t’ worry about which sts are on which needles, you can always even them out later.

[lisabeth313]

Heel flap: Next row K 5, k 10 and place these 10 sts on holder for instep, k 5. Remove plastic markers and work back and forth (p on WS, k on RS) for 3", ending with a p row.

Ok..so I'm a little confused on the part where it says to put the sts on a holder. I did that...but am I still knitting on those stitches or taking them off the needle and skipping over them?

[salmonmac]

Leave those 10sts on the holder for later. You'll get to them after you finish the heel flap. Just work back and forth on the 10sts that you have on the working needle for now. You'll be knitting flat instead of in the round. it may help to look through this tutorial on sock making for this step and the ones ahead.
http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/kwe-socks.html

[lisabeth313]

Thank you so much! What a great tutorial! I think any questions I had have been answered now!